Can Racing and Recreational Riding Coexist?: Bikefanclub.com

I belong to a bike club with about 550 members that is a recreational club in its roots. We have weekday and weekend rides that go out at avg speeds ranging from 10 - 12 mph to 22+. The 22+ riders are a small minority (about 50) and include about 20 riders who race at Cat 4/5 and 3/4. A proposal has been floated to start a "developemental" race team so that those who race can have a structure within the club to do so and so that those who are interested in exploring the world of racing will have a support group. In addition, the racing program would have a "trickle down" benefit to the non racers by requiring team members to lead recreational rides from time to time and to hold "instructional" rides/clinics to teach riding skills related to safe group riding as well as topics such as paceline skills, bike handling and other performance oriented topics.

Now for my question. There is a lot of suspicion among the recreational riders that this is an attempt to change the core purpose and culture of the club. Does anyone have any experience in clubs that have both racing and recreational components and what was done to facilitate a harmonious and mutually benficial relationship between the two?